


Harry Potter and the Blood Prophecy

by Rindell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU after 5th year, Alternate Universe, F/M, Gratuitous butchering of ancient history, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-10-19 17:06:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20660705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rindell/pseuds/Rindell
Summary: After the disastrous events of 5th year, Harry resolves to take control of the course of his life. Some things are easier said than done, however. A succession of events will lead Harry down paths that he never imagined, and he will discover things about himself and others that will alter his life forever.





	1. Snakes and Longcoats

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story way back before HBP was released. I became discouraged because of how clunky the story felt, and abandoned it after eight chapters. My writing back then felt overly descriptive and full of giant info dumps. It’s probably still somewhat that way, but after all this time, I thought I might give it another go. If you read the original over at ff.net, then some of this may be familiar. However, it truly needed a complete overhaul, so a lot has changed. It is probably best to start from the beginning. This story is completely AU after book 5. I may use some canon elements, but as I started it before HPB I'm going to just go with what I originally had planned. There will be an eventual relationship between Harry and Severus. However, as he is only 16 at the beginning, it will be somewhat of a slow burn.

Harry sat looking out of his window at number 4 Privet Drive. The scuffed alarm clock next to him read 11:57 in dull glowing digits. In a few minutes he would be 16 years old. As he watched the minutes tick by, he reflected on the events of the past year. It’s true what they say about hindsight being 20/20. He felt like a fool for not taking better advantage of Snape’s Occlumency lessons. Had he not been a prat about the lessons, and completely pissed the man off, his godfather might still be alive. He’d just been so desperate for any information about what Dumbledore was hiding from him. It seemed that the headmaster had abandoned him to Snape’s not so tender mercies. After Mr. Weasley’s attack it had seemed so important to follow the dreams, a fact Voldemort had shamelessly exploited.

Snape, now there was an interesting problem. He understood a little better now why Snape was such an unmitigated bastard. Not only did the potions master have a childhood at least as bad as his, but also Harry's own father and his friends constantly tortured him during school. At least Harry had friends who had his back. No gang of bullies could hunt him anymore the way Dudley and his friends had in Primary. Snape had been on his own. Add to that the fact that he became a Death Eater, and then a spy who was constantly subjected to Voldemort's tender ministrations. It was a wonder that Snape did not have a bed next to Neville’s parents.

Harry wished that he could somehow make Snape understand that he was not his father. Even though Harry shared not a little enmity with Malfoy, he never acted with the blatant cruelty that James Potter and the other Marauders had displayed. Perhaps because, unlike his father, Harry had been at the receiving end of such cruelties all through his childhood at the hands of the Dursleys.

Enough was enough, however. Harry was tired of just reacting to every crappy situation to come his way. For too long, had he let both his emotions and events steer the course of his life. That needed to change if he wanted to live to see 17. As the clock ticked from 11:59 p.m. to 12 a.m., Harry Potter resolved to take a firmer grasp on the reins of his future. "Happy birthday, Harry," he whispered.

Movement caught his eye on the street below. A chill went down his spine as he thought he saw figure staring up at him from across the street. He blinked, and it was gone. He shook his head as if to clear his mind. "I'm getting as paranoid as Mad-Eye." His thoughts were distracted though, as he caught sight of several owls heading towards his window. He hurriedly opened the window to allow them to land on his windowsill. Hedwig hooted softly in greeting. A very bedraggled Errol, three owls that he did not recognize, and the tiny blur, that was Pig, accompanied her. He hurriedly untied various packages and letters, and offered water and owl treats all around. Hedwig nipped him affectionately and flew to her cage. The others drank and ate their fill and flew away. Harry excitedly turned his attention to the pile in front of him. The first package was filled with chocolate frogs, a practice snitch, which was smaller and faster than a regulation snitch, and a note, which read:

**Dear Harry-**  
**Happy Birthday mate! How are those awful muggles treating you? Do you think Dumbledore will let you come visit us the last week of break? We're planning on meeting Hermione in Diagon Alley to get our school supplies during that time. Hope you like the Snitch. Now that Umbridge is gone you need to shake of the rust so you can whoop Malfoy’s arse!**  
**Ron**  
**P.S.- The Twins mentioned that they were sending you a package. Consider yourself warned!**

Harry smiled, and set Ron's gift aside. Leave it to Ron to be most concerned about Quidditch. The next package was definitely book shaped, and he rightly guessed it was from Hermione. The accompanying note read:

**Dear Harry-**  
**Happy Birthday! Are your relatives treating you okay? Have you finished your homework yet? This is a book on Animagus transformations. I'm hoping that the three of us can work on them when we get back to school. Are you going to ask Professor Dumbledore if you can go to Ron's for the last week of hols? I am in France right now with my parents, but I will be meeting Ron and his family in Diagon Alley on the 28th of August. I hope to see you there.**  
**Hermione**  
**P.S.- Our O.W.L. scores should be coming in the next few days. Have you chosen your N.E.W.T. level courses yet?**

A grin spread across Harry's face as he thought of Hermione and O.W.L.'s. He just hoped he had done well enough to get into the N.E.W.T. level courses he needed. The book on Animagus transformations would come in handy, as he had been considering it himself. The next package was a small box that when opened suddenly grew to be the size of a small trunk. Inside were all kinds of drinks, cakes, pies, and other delicious foods. There was a note from Mrs. Weasley:

**Harry-dear how are you? I don't trust those muggles to feed you properly. A growing boy needs lots of food, you know. This trunk is charmed to be invisible to Muggles and also to keep the food fresh. I hope you can spend the end of the holidays with us here at the Burrow. Stay safe!**  
**Love,**  
**The Weasleys**

Harry felt a surge of gratitude towards Mrs. Weasley. Although this had been by far his best summer with the Dursleys, they having decided it was best just to leave him alone thanks to the warning they got a platform 9 ¾. Harry was faithful in writing to Remus all summer. He basically stayed in his room all the time, and the Dursleys let him be. The only downside was that he got awfully bored, but he would take boredom over being treated like a house elf any day. Even though they had fed him more than they used to, it was still not sufficient to keep him from losing weight. Thus, the food was very welcome. He set the trunk down on the floor up against the wall, so his relatives would be unlikely to trip over it. Harry lifted out a pumpkin pasty and munched on it, while he opened his next package. The next package was obviously from the Twins by the wrapping which had WWW stamped all over it. The note read:

**Dear Silent Partner:**  
**Happy Birthday! Enclosed are all the new products in our fall line. Use them wisely!**  
**Sincerely,**  
**Gred and Forge Weasley**

Harry smirked knowingly. The package next to it was a small box with tiny holes in the lid. As he picked it up, it spoke, or yelled, was more like it. He dropped it with a yell of his own. This of course made it yell louder. He gingerly lifted the lid and was quite surprised to see a snake about the length of his forearm lift its head out. "Stupid owls! Stupid giants! Stupid humans!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. _"Hello there little snake,"_ he hissed.

The little snake's head shot up. _"You speak?"_

_"Yes."_

_"I have heard of snake speakers, but have never met one. Maybe I shall refrain from smiting that giant hairy man who shoved me in this box."_

_"That would be Hagrid. He’s a friend just a little... unthinking sometimes. I would appreciate it if you refrained from the smiting,”_ Harry said with as straight a face as he could manage.

She was a beautiful snake, Harry thought. She was a silvery grey with a pale underbelly. _"You are quite lovely,"_ he hissed to her, _"Do you have a name?"_

The little snake preened with obvious pleasure. _"Thank you kind speaker. My name is Lethe. What is yours?"_

_"Harry"_

_“Since you speak and acknowledge my obvious marvelousness, you shall be my wizard. Time to explore this new place now, Harry."_

_"Fine, but watch out for the other humans. The are not nice."_ The little snake nodded and Harry placed her on the floor with a chuckle. Harry read the note attached to the box:

**'Allo Harry-**  
**Happy Birthday! I found this little critter at a fantastic creatures convention that I went to in France this summer. I thought you might like her seein' as how you can talk to her. You tell those Muggles they'd better treat you right, or I may have to pay them a visit. See you September 1st.**  
**Hagrid**  
**P.S.- just wait 'till you see what other amazing creatures I got for class at the convention!**

"Oh Merlin! We're all going to die!" Harry could just imagine what kind of 'amazing creatures' Hagrid had in mind. Hedwig hooted indignantly at the interloper. "You two will just have to learn to get along." Hedwig just hooted again and turned her back on him. Harry just sighed and turned his attention to the last package, which was large, and it contained a beautiful black leather longcoat, a book entitled Advanced Dueling: Hexes and Curses to Defeat Your Opponent, and a letter:

**Dear Harry-**  
**Happy Birthday. Guess who is coming back to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. Yup, you guessed it! Professor Dumbledore wanted someone he could trust, and after last year he doesn't think anyone will dare protest. The book is for the dueling class that will be an elective this year. I hope you and all of your friends from your group last year will join. The coat, Harry, belonged to Sirius. He used to wear it all the time when we were teenagers. Sirius and I found it in the attic of Grimmauld Place during our clean-out. He had planned on giving it to you for your birthday. I know that he would have loved to see you wearing it. I will see you on September 1st.**  
**With love,**  
**Moony**

Harry had tears on his cheeks by the end of the letter. The coat was wicked, but he wept because his godfather would never get to see him wear it. He held the coat up to his face and inhaled deeply. It smelled of old fine leather and carried a faint scent that he thought belonged to Sirius. He stood and went over to his trunk. He had so few material possessions that he rarely bothered to unpack his trunk over the holidays. It was also safer that way. His trunk was charmed to open only for him, and he had no desire for the Dursleys to go through his expensive school things. Not to mention the fact that he would have to explain where all the gold galleons came from that were hidden in the bottom of his trunk. He put all of his gifts away except the coat, which he slipped on. It was slightly too large for him, him being small for his age due to years of malnourishment by the Dursleys. He held out hope that he would still grow some, especially now that he was getting regular food. Switching off his lamp, he lay on his bed wrapped in the coat, and eventually fell asleep.


	2. O.W.L.'s and Death Eaters

The next morning Harry awoke with a start to banging on his door. "Boy! Your Aunt, Dudley and I are going into London for the day!" Uncle Vernon shouted, "You'd better behave yourself while we're gone!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," he replied blearily. Harry became aware of warmth centered on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw two liquid black ones staring back at him. _"I thought that snakes were supposed to be cold-blooded,"_ he hissed to the sleepy snake.

_"Ordinary snakes are cold-blooded, however I am extraordinary. Magical snakes can control their body temperature and metabolism I can also find you anywhere once we are bonded."_

_"What do you mean by bonded?"_

_"A magical snake bonds with one witch or wizard, and will live as long as its human does. In order to complete the bond, I must bite you. Don't worry though, I will not inject any venom."_

Harry was a little bit leery of having the snake bite him. Lethe was a small snake, though, and it shouldn't hurt very much. The advantages of having a lifelong familiar, one that he could speak with no less, outweighed any brief pain. _"Very well, then. I can see how a bonding could have advantages. Go ahead."_ Lethe's tongue flicked out, and tasted the skin of his wrist. He then felt a sharp prick and warmth, spreading through his limbs. _"Cool!"_ Lethe nodded her head in agreement.

He was thrilled when he heard the car pull out of the driveway a few minutes later. He had a whole day free of the Dursleys, and better yet, they were too afraid to lock him in his room anymore, so he had free run of the house. _"I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to go bathe."_ The silver snake nodded her head once again. He got up, put Sirius' coat carefully away in his trunk, and showered leisurely, glad not to have to worry about his aunt shrieking at him for using their hot water. He made himself breakfast, and was able to eat in peace without having to worry about Dudley stealing his food.

Harry then decided to take the opportunity to spend some time outside. Lethe was probably hungry anyways. The Dursleys still went slightly schizoid when they thought the neighbors would find out about his _abnormality_, so it was easier just to stay in his room. However, since they were gone for the day, he could sit under a tree outside without them glaring at him. He new better than to try to leave the safety of the wards surrounding Number 4. Not only would he be breaking his promise to Dumbledore, but also if he left for some reason alarms would go of at Hogwarts and Grimmauld Place. Within five minutes Privet Drive would be swarming with order members. As much as he missed everyone, he had a feeling they would be less than pleased at having to come on a false alarm.

As he was lounging in the shade, and enjoying the cool morning air he noticed an owl approaching. Harry hissed a warning to Lethe who was hunting for insects in the grass near his feet. She quickly returned to him, and hid in the pocket of his huge jeans. She had no desire to become an owl treat. He recognized it as one of the school owls when it landed on a branch above him. It was carrying a fairly thick envelope. He untied it from the owl's leg, and noted the Hogwarts crest. "Must be my O.W.L. results." Harry opened the thick envelope and removed several sheets of parchment. The cover sheet read:

**Dear Mr. Potter-**  
**Congratulations on your successful completion of your O.W.L.'s and your fifth year. Please note that you have been accepted for your sixth year here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find the results of your O.W.L. examinations, a course selection sheet with a list of N.E.W.T. level courses of which you are eligible, and your book and supply list for such courses. Please remember that you must select at least four N.E.W.T. level courses and may select two elective courses. Please fill out the course selection sheet and return it by owl no later than August 15th.**  
**Yours sincerely,**  
**Minerva McGonagall**  
**Deputy Headmistress**  
**P.S. – I know we discussed your desire to enter Auror training after graduation. If that is still your wish I suggest you select the N.E.W.T. level courses that we discussed last year. Remember that Auror training requires that you pass five N.E.W.T.'s with at least an Exceeds Expectations. Please remember that I am available should you require any assistance.**

The second page read:

**Dear Mr. Potter-**  
**Congratulations on the completion of your Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Your scores are as follows.**  
**Sincerely,**  
**Griselda Marchbanks**  
**Chairman, Wizarding Examinations Authority**

**Charms:**   
**Theory - O**  
**Practical - E**  
**Transfiguration:**   
**Theory - E**  
**Practical - E**  
**Herbology:**   
**Theory - E**  
**Practical - O**  
**Defense Against the Dark Arts:**   
**Theory - O**  
**Practical - O**  
**Potions:**   
**Theory - O**  
**Practical - O**  
**Care of Magical Creatures:**   
**Theory - O**  
**Practical – O**  
**Astronomy:**   
**Theory - O**  
**Practical - A**  
**Divination:**   
**Practical - P**  
**History of Magic:**   
**Theory - P**

**Poor: 2**  
**Acceptable: 1**  
**Exceed Expectations: 4**  
**Outstanding: 9**

**Total O.W.L.'s: 14**

Harry was astonished. He had expected to fail Divination and History of Magic, but never in his wildest dreams had he expected to get an O in both the Potion's Theory and Practical. It was widely known that Professor Snape only accepted students with O's into his N.E.W.T. level courses. He was not surprised that he had received two O's in Defense Against the Dark Arts. "Take that Umbitch!" He had also done well enough in Transfiguration and Charms to get in to those N.E.W.T.S. Professor McGonagall had not mentioned a fifth N.E.W.T. level course that he should take due to her row with Umbridge. He decided that he would take N.E.W.T. level Care of Magical Creatures. Not only could that knowledge be useful as an Auror, but it would make Hagrid happy as well. The next sheet was the selection form:

**Attention-**  
**All students must select at least four N.E.W.T. level courses and may select two electives. Please fill out and return this form no later that August 15th.**  
**Minerva McGonagall**  
**Deputy Headmistress**

**Eligible N.E.W.T. Level Courses (please select at least four)**   
**Charms**  
**Transfiguration**  
**Herbology**  
**Defense Against the Dark Arts**  
**Potions**  
**Care of Magical Creatures**

**Electives (please select two)**   
**Dueling**  
**Flying**  
**Muggle Studies**  
**Healing**

Setting the form aside, he had already decided that he was taking Dueling and Healing as his electives. Dueling was an obvious choice, not only because Professor Lupin would be teaching, but also because it was necessary knowledge for him. Also, with as many times as he seemed to land himself in the hospital wing, he decided a little healing knowledge would not be amiss. The next sheet was his book and supply list for all of the courses that he was eligible for:

**Course Books**

**Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6)**  
**By Miranda Goshawk**  
**Simply Charming: An Advanced Guide to Charms**  
**By Fillius Flitwick (Charms)**  
**Advanced Transfiguration**  
**By Amanda Changetop (Transfiguration)**  
**Ten Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi**  
**By Phyllida Spore (Herbology)**  
**Protect Yourself! You Are Not Paranoid!**  
**By Allister Moody (Defense Against the Dark Arts)**  
**1001 Insanely Difficult Potions**  
**By Arsenius Jigger (Potions)**  
**Nice and Not So Nice Beasties**  
**By Georgia Insanium (Care of Magical Creatures)**  
**Advanced Dueling: Hexes and Curses to Defeat Your Opponent**  
**By Joseph Potter (Dueling)**  
**Arial Tricks**  
**By Nadia Wingfeather (Flying)**  
**Those Crazy Muggles**  
**By John Smith (Muggle Studies)**  
**Healers' Art: From First Aid to Minor Surgery**  
**By Florence Surehand (Healing)**

**Additional Supplies**

**Potions**   
**N.E.W.T. level potions ingredient package**  
**1 steel caldron (standard size 4)**  
**1 dragonhide apron**  
**1 pair dragonhide potion gloves**  
**1 pair Marty's Magical Eye Goggles**

**Care of Magical Creatures**   
**1 pair dragonhide handling gloves**  
**1 magical fist aid kit**

**Dueling**   
**1 set of dueling robes**

The last sheet was a letter from Dumbledore:

**Dear Harry-**  
**Please let me wish you a happy belated birthday. I understand that the Weasley family wishes to have you visit the last week of holidays. This should not be a problem as long as a few extra precautions are made. I will see to it that wards are placed around The Burrow, and someone from The Order will accompany you on your journey there.**  
**Please stay safe,**  
**Albus Dumbledore**  
**Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards**

Harry was thrilled that Dumbledore had caved so easily. He had been worried that he would be forced to stay under the Blood Protection of his Aunt Petunia all summer. He was glad that Dumbledore would be adding protections to The Burrow because he did not want to endanger them, either. He turned to the owl that was still sitting above his head, "Please wait here a moment, and I'll bring you back and owl treat. I wish to send a reply." The owl hooted acknowledgment, and Harry went up to his room. He quickly filled out his course elective sheet, and penned a quick note to Dumbledore, thanking him for going through all the trouble that was involved in Harry going to go Weasley's. He gave the two pieces of parchment to the owl, along with the treat. "Take these Professor Dumbledore please." The owl hooted and took off.

_"Is that ghastly owl gone yet?"_ Lethe hissed from his pocket.

_"Yes, he is gone now. Do you need to hunt some more, or are you full?"_

_"I am full for now. I wish take a nap."_

Harry nodded to himself, and stood up, gathering his letters, to go inside. As he turned he saw a flash of black out of the corner of eye. When he turned to look however, it was gone. He shook his head, and headed into the house. Once upstairs in his room, Harry put away his letters, and got out his potions assignment that he'd been working on. He placed Lethe underneath his pillow to sleep, and got to work on his essay entitled: The Many Uses Of Powder Root Of Asphodel. Harry thought that Snape chose this assignment specifically as a jab at him. He would never forget his very first potions class when Snape humiliated him by asking him N.E.W.T. level questions about the Draught Of Living Death. "'Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?' Bastard!" That had been the start of a wonderful relationship. He understood that Snape had to be nasty to him in front of the children of Death Eaters in order to keep up his role as a spy. Harry even understood that Snape was reminded of the bullying he had received from Harry's father every time he saw him. Just because he understood these things however, did not mean that the insults hurt any less. Harry sometimes wondered what his father would think of the fact that, because he tormented another student as a child, his son was now the subject of torment. He wondered whether or not his father had eventually outgrown his maliciousness. He hated to think ill of his dead father, however he didn't think that many people actually grew out of maliciousness. He had a feeling that Draco Malfoy would always be a prick.

He went back to work on his essay, and when he looked up a few hours later he realized that the sun had gone down. He got up and put away his essay. He then went to his food locker, and pulled out a chicken potpie. As he stood by the window of his bedroom, eating his potpie while looking out onto the street, he got the distinct sensation that he was being watched. Just then he noticed the Dursleys car driving down the street. Before it could reach the house, however, it suddenly exploded into flames. The force of the explosion rocked the house, and threw him to the floor of his bedroom. Harry clambered to his feet just in time to see the wards around the house flare and flicker out. Before he had time to even process what had happened, about a dozen Death Eaters apparated onto the front lawn.

“HOLY SHIT!" Harry quickly doused the light in his bedroom. He ran to his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak and his wand. Harry figured that this certainly qualified as an emergency, and he could not be prosecuted for the use of underage magic. He quickly released Hedwig, shrunk her cage, and placed it in his trunk. "Fly to Ron's girl! I'll see you there." As she flew out the window, he quickly shrunk his both his trunk and his food locker, and pocketed them. He grabbed Lethe out from under his pillow and placed her in his pocket saying,_ "Quiet now we have to escape because there are bad men in the house!"_ He then threw his invisibility cloak over his shoulders, and pulled up the hood.

He made it onto the landing, just as the front door was blown off its hinges. As the Death Eaters started up the stairs, Harry silently darted into the corner behind the old grandfather clock at the top of the stairs. He didn't even dare to breathe as they each passed within a foot of him. He heard them talking to each other, and then he heard the leader tell them to split up the search all the rooms.

“Come out, come out wherever you are! We know you’re here widdle baby Potter!” He recognized the taunting insane voice of Bellatrix Lestrange. The very thought of her made his blood boil, and he had to restrain himself from cursing her then and there. He knew, however, that he was no match for a dozen Death Eaters. He had to get out of the house, and wait until reinforcements arrived. While the Death Eaters were searching the rooms on the upper floor, he stealthily made his way down the stairs, being careful to avoid the creaky step. He made his way out the ruined doorway and across the street into the alley where he first saw Sirius.

He then was able to turn around and watch the proceedings. He could see the light of the Death Eaters' wands through the windows as they moved about looking for him. He could hear the shrill ranting of Bellatrix's voice as she screamed at the Death Eaters for not finding him. When it became obvious that he was not in the house, the Death Eaters poured back onto the front lawn. Just as the last Death Eater exited the house, he heard successive loud pops indicating apparation. The cavalry had arrived! The Death Eaters and the Order immediately began to trade hexes. When it became obvious that the Death Eaters were outnumbered, they disapparated at a shout from Bellatrix. Harry started to move out of the alleyway with the intention of calling out to the Order members. Just as he opened his mouth, however, he was hit with a stunning spell from behind.


	3. Strangers and Questions

As Harry sat up with a gasp, it quickly became obvious to him that he was neither in his bedroom, nor the Hogwarts hospital wing. He fumbled on the table next to him for his glasses, while trying to fight the sick panic threatening to overtake him. His gaze darting around the room, he noticed that it was very lavish, and decorated in rich woods and jewel toned silks and velvets. He realized that he was in a giant featherbed. He started again as a deep mellow voice spoke, and turned to see a stranger step out of the shadows, "Good evening Mr. Potter. Welcome."

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"I must apologize for the abrupt nature of our departure. Time and circumstance were not on our side. I swear that I mean you no harm. You have been brought to our fortress off the coast of Scotland. I promise I will answer all of your questions very soon."

Harry eyed the man, he had to be almost 2 meters tall. Long jet-black hair was worked into a braid down his back, and he had light brown skin, and dark blue eyes. His dark brown leather pants and midnight blue silk tunic showed off lithe with sinewy muscles like a dancer. It was his eyes, though, that I caught Harry's attention. They had an unearthly glow, and seemed to be able to see right through him. He imagined that if the lights were extinguished, he would still be able to find the man by the glimmer of those eyes. Said man smiled mysteriously, "My name is Tullius Maecenas. I imagine that you are wondering why you are here."

"Harry Potter, and you could say that."

"I’m afraid it is rather a long tale, Mr. Potter, and you have had a very trying day. Perhaps you would like some refreshments first? I could send for something."

"I am hungry, but you needn't bother with summoning anything. I have my own supplies," there was no way that Harry was accepting food or drink from these people until he knew what their intentions were.

Tullius nodded approvingly and nodded, "As you wish. I will allow you to collect yourself and will return in an hour's time. I promise then you will get your answers." He pointed at several doors, "Those two doors lead to the other rooms of your suite. Anything that you find in this suite is yours to use it as you see fit. This door leads to other parts of the fortress. For your safety please remain inside your rooms until I return. After explanations I will gladly show you our home." Harry nodded politely, but remained where he was until the man left the room silently.

After the door closed behind the man, Harry quickly stock of his situation. His invisibility cloak lay folded neatly on the end of his bed. His wand lay on top of it. That was a relief. He would be devastated had he lost either. Several locking charms on the door hopefully ensured he wouldn't be caught unawares. Harry had every intention of holding on to his earlier resolution to be smarter no matter how weird things were getting.

He found Lethe still in his coat pocket. _"Are you okay?"_

_"Yes. What is going on, Harry?"_

_"I'm not entirely sure yet. We seem to have been taken by very odd kidnappers. How long was I unconscious?"_

_"About four hours. We were disapparated from your home, and brought straight here. This place has a peculiar smell. I can't quite place it. The one that just left was one of the ones that brought your here. Another one was with him earlier. They spoke for awhile then he left. I did not understand what they said, as it was not English."_

Harry was impressed with his little friend, _"You understand English?"_

_"Yes it is one of the side effects of our bonding. I understand whatever languages that you can speak."_ Harry nodded in understanding. That was certainly a useful ability. _"You will make a wonderful spy. Let's have a look around."_ The room contained a large bed, wardrobe and a sitting area with a fireplace. There was also a large window seat overlooking dark forest and unfamiliar terrain. Dark woods, grey upholstery and jewel toned accents made the room feel cozy. Harry took a moment to explore the wardrobe, and found it to be filled with beautiful and probably expensive clothes in his size. At least if he was going to be stuck here a while, he would not have to wear Dudley's old things or his school robes.

Two doors sat in wall opposite the bed. One led to an opulent bath and shower and the other to an office. One wall of the office was covered in bookcases filled with books. He discovered subjects ranging from ancient magic to politics to martial arts. On the wall opposite the door there was a windowed alcove that contained a desk and chair. On the right wall there was another fireplace, two humongous armchairs and a small table. He discovered that the desk was complete with copious amounts of parchment, quills and ink.

_"Well, whatever their reasons for bringing me here are, at least this is a fair sight better than a dungeon cell."_

_"The one who was here before, that Tullius character, did not give me the sense that he meant you harm. However, you should not let your guard down. A cage is a cage no matter how nice."_

_"True. I agree that he did not seem malicious, however, appearances can be deceiving."_ Harry decided that he would take advantage of the shower, while Tullius was gone. He considered the tub, but decided that he didn't have time to do it justice. Therefore after a brief shower, Harry wrapped himself in the cotton robe hanging by the door, and headed out to the wardrobe. He found a black silk tunic, pants and trousers, and placed his wand up his left sleeve. He completed the outfit with black cashmere socks, leather shoes and belt. "I'm wearing as much black as Snape," he laughed.

_"You look very handsome for a human,"_ Lethe piped from the ground by his feet.

He grinned at her, and grabbed another potpie from his food locker and a flask of pumpkin juice. He took it to the window seat and munched it thoughtfully, while examining the surrounding terrain. It was dark outside, but he could make some features by the light of the almost full moon. It was slightly mountainous, and surrounded by lush verdant forests. He saw no other signs of civilization from this vantage point. It was tempting to try and make a break for it, but he had no idea where he was. Plus he had to admit that his damnable curiosity was aroused. Who are these people?

"Well Harry, it's a fine mess you've gotten yourself into this time. How the hell did they capture me while I was wearing my invisibility cloak?" He thought about it, and he was fairly sure that the hood of his cloak had not fallen down. That meant that he had been invisible when he was stunned. How then had they seen him?

Now that he had a moment to think, he tried to get a grip on what had happened. Apparently, the Death Eaters had somehow found out about the blood protection on the house. It was logical to assume that if they killed the Dursleys, or more specifically Aunt Petunia, that the wards would fail. "The Dursleys are dead." Harry tried to understand how he felt about that. On the one hand, the Dursleys had never been at all kind to him, but on the other, wouldn't it have been worse to grow up in an orphanage or on the streets? He didn’t know. He hated the Dursleys; then again, maybe he just severely disliked them. He tried to save the word hate for people like Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew and Bellatrix Lestrange. He didn't even think he actually hated Malfoy or Snape. Either way, he never wanted the Dursleys to die because of him.

Dumbledore and Remus must be going spare, and what about these people who kidnapped him? They certainly didn't seem like Death Eaters, and if the intended to kill him, they were sure going about it in a funny way. Only time would tell, he supposed. He rather thought a normal person should be more freaked out right now, not showering and eating. But when had he ever had a normal life?


	4. Senesha and Prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a loooong chapter. I am sorry if it seems like a huge info dump, but I really tried to at least make it interesting. Things definitely start to pick up in the next chapter. Thanks for bearing with me!

Harry was startled from his spot on the window seat by knocking on his door. He felt the comforting smoothness of Lethe on his wrist, walked over to the door, and called, "Who is it?"

"It is Tullius, not to fear."

"One moment," Harry called. He pulled his wand from his sleeve, and canceled the wards on the door allowing Tullius to enter. Harry felt a little awkward just standing there, and yet it seemed silly to invite his captor to sit down. In the end, Tullius did it for him, and sat in one of the chairs. He motioned for Harry to do the same. Harry resisted the urge to sigh, and joined him.

"I imagine that you'd like that explanation now. Am I correct, Mr. Potter? May I call you Harry?"

Harry nodded, "I’d say so..." "Very well then. Where to start... Well, first of all, I hope you have realized that I’m not a Death Eater. That their attack on your house, and our retrieval of you happened at the same time is merely a fortuitous coincidence. Not because your relatives were killed, but we were having some trouble getting past the wards without doing something drastic that would attract unwanted attention. We were watching your house for several days hoping that you would leave the wards. The fact that you didn’t, combined with the skill that you displayed in evading the Death Eaters and the precautions that you have taken since you arrived here show an admirable amount of craftiness on your part.”

Harry nodded his head slightly in acceptance of the complement.

"You are here in hopes that you can turn the tide of two conflicts. One of which you have already a part of, and the other that dates back much further of which you are unaware, as is most of humankind.

"Harry, do you know what the physiological difference between a wizard and a muggle is?" Tullius asked quietly.

“Aside from magic there isn’t one is there?”

“That is actually a commonly held misconception. As I am sure you are aware, the magical world in general takes little interest in genetics and biology. Outside of a few select circles of alchemists, philosophers and magical theorists, most wizards don't really question where their magic comes from. Throughout history those of avid curiosity have searched for the root of magic. Even today we are not certain where it originated. However, we have isolated the biological difference between creatures that can and cannot harness magic. Every wizard's body contains what refer to as Creozymes. Think of them as an extra type of organism that exists in your bloodstream imprinted with a magical signature distinct to each wizard.However energy has to come from somewhere. These Creozymes produce magical energy by consuming your red blood cells. The bodies of wizards have compensated for this by increasing the rate of red blood cell production."

"This is why wizards become fatigued when they overexert themselves magically. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients to various parts of the body. When a wizard exerts great amounts of magical energy the Creozymes consume red blood cells at a rate faster than the body can produce them. This leaves a wizard with symptoms similar to exhaustion and blood loss. The level of Creozymes in his blood determines the magical strength of a wizard, and is directly proportional to the level of magical energy that a wizard is capable of producing. This level stays constant from the womb and can only be altered by strong dark magic, which has serious side effects.”

Harry was shocked by this revelation, "Do those wizards with higher magical strength run the risk of burning too many red blood cells?" Harry could not help but remember the times people had told him that he had exceptional magical strength. Did this mean that he was in danger of hurting himself?

Tullius shook his head, "No. Each wizard's body sets and equilibrium while still in the womb, and produces sufficient levels of red blood cells to compensate for its Creozymes. The human body is an amazing thing. It has a fail-safe, and will temporarily shut down before you kill yourself. It is only when dark magic is used in the attempts to raise the level of Creozymes a wizard possesses that you run into trouble."

"I see," said Harry feeling slightly relieved, "So what does this have to do with why I am here?"

"Ah, yes... I was getting to that. What do you know about vampires?"

"I just know that they are bloodthirsty dark creatures that feed on the blood of humans.” Harry was growing slightly alarmed. He glanced at Tullius' mouth when he smiled, and was slightly reassured when all of his teeth appeared to be the same length.

"Vampires are quite different then you have been led to believe, Harry. Please bear with me and allow me to tell you a story."

"As I am sure you know, ancient Egypt was ruled mostly by wizards." He paused long enough for Harry to nod in acknowledgment. Ron had told him of all of the curses that Egyptian wizards had placed on the pyramids. "Well, around 2100 BC, Egypt was fragmented and warring with itself. Then along came a wizard who would later become known as Mentuhotep II, pharaoh of the 11th dynasty. He and his dark wizard priests were extremely skilled in alchemy and were obsessed with unlocking the secrets to magic and immortality. They began experimenting with ways of creating the perfect warriors. The priests collected muggleborn wizarding children under the age of five from their peasant parents for use as test subjects. The parents were simply told that their children had been chosen to serve the pharaoh, and not given the option to refuse. Using the darkest of magic they created a magical virus, which they dubbed the Senef Virus. Senef meaning blood. This virus when administered would induce the wizard's body to undergo numerous physical transformations, including enhanced senses of sight, smell, hearing and taste, enhanced strength, endurance and agility and remarkable healing capabilities. It also gave them telepathic powers, and stopped the aging process at physical maturity, making the wizard practically immune to death by natural causes.

"The virus did this by causing the Creozymes in a wizard's blood to multiply to almost double the natural level. In order for the virus not to be attacked and overwhelmed by the children's immune systems, they were drained of half their blood before being administered the virus. It was discovered in the process of testing this virus that the subjects bodies were not capable of producing sufficient amounts of red blood cells to sustain the increase in Creozymes. After losing many of their early test subjects with symptoms of blood loss, they decided to try administering blood to the remaining children. They discovered that as long as the children received at least a liter of blood every few days, they would remain healthy. After experimenting with different sources of blood they found that although the children could process the blood of animals, they required more than if they were given the blood of humans. Also they found that the blood of wizards gave them a temporary magical energy boost. The wizards assumed that this was because the wizarding blood contained Creozymes. It was not sustained because their own antibodies would eventually breakdown the foreign blood. For about an hour though, any spells that were cast left a combined magical signature.

"As I said, the purpose of these experiments was to create an army for Mentuhotep. His ambition was to reunite the warring Egypt under his rule. Within a year he had about fifty muggleborn wizards and witches between the ages of three and six. The children were treated as favored royalty, and were showered with attention and toys. At the same time they were being educated and trained, both in magic and in combat, and conditioned in loyalty to the pharaoh. Mentuhotep still was not satisfied however. He knew that if he was going to overtake the rest of Egypt, that he would need more than fifty children, no matter how powerful they might be.

"Mentuhotep instructed his priests to administer the Senef Virus to a group of muggle children in an attempt to supplement his forces. The experiment was an unmitigated disaster. Since the muggles possessed no Creozymes naturally, the wizards fed them the blood of the children, who were already carriers of the virus. With this attempt they had hoped to give the muggle children the capability to produce magic. Unfortunately, their bodies were unable to handle the invasion by Creozymes, and their minds began to breakdown. In the end, although the change was successful, the muggle children had the mentality of wild animals. They were able to produce small amounts of uncontrolled magic, but the Creozymes consumed red blood cells at a rate that their muggle bodies were totally unprepared for. These children had to feed daily in order to stay alive, and in their reduced mental state, they were consumed by bloodlust. The wizards termed the muggle children Deviants and destroyed them vowing to only use magical children in the future. They scoured the countryside for muggleborn wizarding children, for even Mentuhotep was not willing to alienate his fellow wizarding nobles by taking their children.

"Over the next fifteen years he was able to raise the number of his young army to a hundred. He named them the Senesha from Senef Mesha’ or Blood Army, and they were unstoppable. He soon reunited Egypt under his rule.

“The virus had a safeguard built in that made all of the subjects sterile, both male and female. He did not want to chance outside breeding that would dilute the Senesha bloodline, and he did not wish to have any of his warriors out of commission with pregnancy. The only way that one of the Senesha could reproduce was to select a magical child, drain their blood and administer them blood from themselves. When the two exchanged blood in this manner, a magical bond was created that made them as good as parent and child.

"The Senesha continued to serve the line of pharaohs until the collapse of the 13th dynasty around 1550 BC. They had been honored by Mentuhotep, but over the centuries the pharaohs became weaker, and grew distrustful of the powerful Senesha. Those outsiders that knew of their origins were long dried in the sand, and the Senesha vowed to keep their secrets to themselves.

“As word of new civilizations across the sea began to filter into Egypt. The ancient civilization around them was crumbling. Lead by half-brothers, Tullius Maecenas and Artemis Agamemnon, they swore to only ally themselves to rulers, never again to blindly serve them. By this time their numbers had swelled to over 400, all appearing to be no older than twenty-five. For over 1500 years they worked as mercenaries, and followed the path of empires up through Greece, Rome and eventually to Britain.

“Their numbers had dwindled due to only 200 in the many wars, and decision was made to settle in Britain and focus on less violent pursuits. For the next 700 years they remained in Britain gradually increasing in numbers. While they maintained their martial skills, their focus shifted to arts, science and the study of magic. Although they did see fighting, it was nowhere near the scale that they had seen in Rome.

"What you must understand, Harry, is that just because the Senesha were created using the darkest of magic, this did not make them necessarily evil. I know that you are familiar with a werewolf. Werewolves are considered by the Ministry of Magic and much of the wizarding population to be evil dark creatures intent on human blood. As you know, however, this is not always the case. One of the codes that the Senesha had set before they ever left Egypt was not to feed off of innocent humans. They considered it their right to feed from their fallen enemies, but would not seek out human blood in times of peace. In this new peaceful world, they subsisted mainly off the blood of cattle. Though most of the Senesha were happy with their new way of life, some of their number became discontent, and longed for the thrill of combat and conquest.

"At this point in history the Roman Empire was a fading memory. Many of the Senesha saw opportunity in the various warring states. After a great argument among the elders of the clan, they split into five groups. Tullius and Artemis led the two largest. Tullius formed the Argentum Clan and stayed in what would eventually be Scotland, and Artemis formed the Rutilus Clan and moved them to what would become Wales. The Viridis Clan went to fight in the eastern Roman Empire, but eventually settled in what is now Germany. The Crocinus Clan went south along the continent to what is now Spain, but eventually migrated to the Americas. The Niveus Clan which was comprised of about forty younger vampires, went east and eventually allied with the Franks, which would ultimately be the biggest mistake yet to be made by any Senesha.

"The younger warriors had all been sired after the flight from Egypt, and therefore had not been witness to Mentuhotep's experiments. Although they knew of the ban on the creation of Deviants, they were full of their own arrogance. Stultitia Verus, the leader of the Niveus, defied the most sacred of the Senesha codes and told the leaders of the Franks of the Senesha abilities. The Franks were wary of these warriors, but in their greed for power, agreed to Stultitia's plan. She had them gather almost two hundred of their children together, all of who were muggles. Then she and her followers sired them.

"The fledgling Deviants turned on their elders in their madness. Hundreds were slaughtered on all sides. The Argentum and Rutilus Clans came to the rescue, but by that time many of the Deviants had escaped. These rogue Deviants ravaged the countryside with no concept of secrecy. Soon, both the muggle and the wizarding world were aware and in arms over these so-called 'vampires'. Not wanting to face the entirety of Western Europe, the Senesha clans went into hiding. They built their own fortresses that were so well warded that not even the strongest wizards would even see them. They have remained as such to this day."

It took Harry a few minutes to absorb all of this information. He had stiffened at the mention that Tullius Maecenas was a vampire, or rather Senesha, but his curiosity to hear the rest won out. He wondered why it was that he always seemed to end up in these types of situations. His eyes widened when Tullius replied as if he had spoken aloud, "You are a fulcrum, a Child of Fate, Blood Child. Such people come along in times of great need. It is Fate's way of countering evil and restoring equilibrium to the world. We need your help, Harry, and in return, I think we can help you as well.”

"Before you grow too alarmed, please let me reassure you that I mean you no harm, and will do nothing to you without your consent." Harry relaxed slightly. He understood his point about the ministry and its opinion on dark creatures. Merlin knows you couldn't believe everything that the ministry had said about Harry himself. He had not been given any reason to mistrust this man, well, other than being kidnapped that is. "Ah... yes... well I am sorry about that. I am afraid that it was necessary at the time. I had planned on speaking with you first, but the attack forced me to take drastic action."

"So, you are one of these Senesha?" Harry inquired.

"Yes, I am the leader of the Argentum Clan, and you are here on our island, Pax Castellum."

Harry touched his own teeth, "Concealment charm?"

"Ah, yes," as Harry watched as four 2 cm fangs appeared in Tullius' mouth, "I did not wish to alarm you. We always use concealment charms when it becomes necessary to move amongst the outside world."

"You didn't use a wand or a spell," Harry was astonished. The only person that Harry had seen do wandless and silent magic was Dumbledore.

"Wands are an inconvenience in battle, as they can be lost or broken. Plus without a wand there is nothing for your enemy to relieve you of. With our high levels of Creozymes, wands are not really necessary. It is simply a matter of learning control, and we have had plenty of time to master that. A spell is simply a trigger that tells your mind the type and level of magical energy to create. It is the intent behind the spell that makes it effective. With proper control of your mind it becomes unnecessary to speak aloud."

Harry was intrigued, "I see, so really anyone could learn the control necessary to do it." He smiled inwardly at the thought of the crafty headmaster. "So, why do you need me? You mentioned two wars. I assume one of them has to do with Voldemort, but what of the other one?"

Tullius looked saddened for a moment before he replied, "I am afraid the other war is now inextricably entwined with your war against Voldemort. You remember the split of the clans that I told you of?" Harry nodded. "Unfortunately many of my kind have grown tired of quelling our bloodlust on animals. My younger half-brother is among the most vocal of the dissidents. He and his followers have grown tired of living in hiding. Also warfare among the muggles has become so technologically based that there is very little call for warriors of our kind anymore. Voldemort has heard the whispers of our existence, and is attempting to sway us to his side. His promise of the blood of muggles and muggleborns is very enticing to Artemis and his followers.”

“You have to understand, Harry, that wizarding blood is like a drug to the Senesha. The boost that we receive from wizarding blood is a very strong high. It is only our morals and codes that restrain us. Therefore Voldemort has offered a very effective bargaining chip to my brother and his ilk. As of yet, Artemis has made no pact, but I fear that he yet may."

Harry shuddered at the thought of Voldemort with an army of Senesha lusting after wizarding blood. It was not a pretty image. "That cannot happen, but what can I do?"

“Long ago when the Senesha broke the yoke that the pharaohs had placed on them, the leaders created a Code that all of them agreed to live by. 1. All warriors would strive to maintain the secrecy of the Senesha’s existence and origins. 2. No warrior would take human blood outside battle. 3. No warrior would assist in the creation of Deviants. 4. All warriors who chose to sire a child would be charged with teaching them the ways of the Senesha and would have the care of them and responsibility their actions for a period of a hundred years. As the Senesha were traveling out of Egypt, a prophecy was made by the seer among them. It was attached to the code, and when the time came for it to be fulfilled, all of the Senesha would be required to assist in its fulfillment:

**There will come a time when the clans are in strife.**  
**Many will be tempted by darkness and the sweet words of the Serpent's Heir.**  
**Do not despair for one of Fate's Children shall come to you in your time of need.**

**Mortal Child**  
**Kissed by lighting**  
**Conqueror of hardship**  
**Vanquisher of Death**  
**Mate of the Raven**

**Blood Child**  
**Saved by ancients**  
**The fledgling immortal**  
**Speaker of serpents**  
**Unifier of Clans**

**Light Child**  
**Leader of races**  
**Liberator of oppressed**  
**Guardian of peace**  
**Watcher of the world**

As Tullius finished reciting the prophecy, a great shiver ran down Harry's spine. He may have failed his Divination O.W.L., but he was not stupid by any means. "And you believe that this child is me." It was not a question.

"Yes, Blood Child. I have searched for you for many years. Your life has been a crucible, and for that I am most sorry. I take only a small amount of solace in the fact that you have grown strong, but not hard. I know people have made comparisons between your life and that of Voldemort, but the fundamental difference between the two of you is that he allowed all the hardships in his life to make him bitter and took the experience gained from them to a dark place, while you were able to overcome and learn from yours.

"I wish to blood adopt you, though neither myself nor anyone else can or would force you. The choice must be yours and yours alone. I swear to help you on your path regardless. If you become one of the Senesha, you would have all of our abilities at your disposal. You would be much better equipped to fight the battles that you have ahead of you. Also, under the Code of the Senesha you would have my protection, and as the Child of the Prophecy you would have that of all the clans.

"I must in all fairness however, warn you. There will be those of your kind that will turn on you should you accept my offer, especially among the Ministry. Your true friends, however, will always be there for you.

“Now, it is very late, or should I say early. Do not give me your answer now. Think about what I have said, and tomorrow I will return, and show you our home. Even if you should refuse us, I would still wish to instruct you on some of our fighting and magical skills that would help you in your fight. Either way we will return you to your school by the 1st of September. Please consider my offer, though. I especially have waited a long time to meet you."

With that Tullius stood and made his way to the door, "Goodnight, Harry." He then slipped out of sight.

Harry remained seated for several moments, his head spinning. He felt movement on his wrist, and raised his fist to eye level. _"Well,"_ he hissed.

_"Well indeed,"_ she replied. _"You're in no condition to make any kind of decision now,"_ she advised. _"Let's get some sleep. Things will be clearer in the morning."_

_"Agreed."_ Harry replaced the wards on his door, and moved his tired body and mind to the bed, stripping as he went.

_"Sweet dreams, Harry."_

_"Do snakes dream?"_ he inquired.

_"Of course. I am rather fond of ones involving crickets. Nice and crunchy."_


	5. House-Elves and Bathtubs

****Interlude****

For the two months of late summer when no students graced her hallowed halls, Hogwarts and her grounds were generally peaceful, some would even say idyllic. However this particular day was to be anything but. The crack of apparation split the air and sent a flock of starlings pinwheeling into the air in a great agitated cloud. As they soared into the sky, a figure, like black ink against the landscape, raced through the gates and up to the castle.

On any given day, Severus Snape could easily be considered a stressed individual. He taught one of the most potentially dangerous classes at Hogwarts to mostly careless children, who seemed to be constantly trying to blow themselves and their classmates to kingdom come. He was also head of head of house to Slytherin which had more than its fair share of children from troubled backgrounds. Let’s not even mention the stress of trying to keep Potter safe from whatever life threatening situation he decided to throw himself into in a given week.

Historically, summer was when he recharged himself. He went on expeditions for rare ingredients, spent days experimenting in his private lab, or submitted articles to potions journals. Hell, sometimes he just spent the day reading and drinking cups of tea supplied readily by bored house-elves. That had all changed when a white faced and trembling Potter had reappeared with the Diggory boy's body after the third task of that blasted tournament, and uttered the words that made Severus want to scream in denial. 

This past year had plunged him almost into madness. The dark lord's insanity was easily apparent since his resurrection. His moods were mercurial at best, and Severus had needed more than one post-cruciatus nerve potion after particularly trying meetings. Though he tried his best, the dark lord was still sceptical of his loyalty. He had spent too many years close to Albus. This latest catastrophe with the attack on the boy's family was just another worry on his already overburdened plate.

Why had he not known of the attack beforehand? Granted, The dark lord did not see fit to divulge his each and every plan to the potions master, but for something of this magnitude, he should have at least gotten an inkling, especially as it concerned Potter. What was especially disconcerting was that even if Severus had heard nothing from Voldemort directly, he could usually count on one of the dumber Death Eaters involved in the plot, such as the elders Crabbe and Goyle, to brag or in some way leak information. Severus had heard nothing.

He stalked along the halls, robes flaring, as he made his way to the headmaster's office. "Everlasting Gobstopper!" he snarled at the gargoyle, and it leapt aside. As Severus reached the top of the winding staircase, he could discern several voices coming from behind the door. He paused to listen.

"Albus, it's been over twelve hours. If he had escaped, we should have heard something by now," came the worried voice of Arthur Weasley.

"There was no sign of him with those Death Eaters that we fought, but they could have used a portkey from inside the house," intoned the gravelly voice of Alastor Moody. “What of your little turncoat, any word from Voldemort’s camp?”

It was at this point that Severus decided to make his presence known, and entered the office, ignoring Albus' bloody knowing twinkle. That man should have been in Slytherin, the crafty old codger. Severus turned his attention to the Order members that occupied chairs in Albus' office. Remus Lupin, Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Alastor Moody all looked at him expectantly, Moody with his particular and expected sneer. Severus noted that they all looked extremely tired and worried with exception of the headmaster. The potions master raised an eyebrow at this considering that Albus' Golden Boy was missing, but the headmaster simply looked intrigued.

"Ah Severus, please have a seat. Have you been able to uncover anything in regards to our Mr. Potter?"

"Nothing of significance. I am concerned that I knew nothing of this attack before it was carried out. You know I have concerns about the precariousness of his trust in me. The Dark Lord has been searching for moles in his ranks. If the boy truly did escape, then perhaps we can at least be hopeful that he will look elsewhere for the leak now. However, I have not yet ascertained whether or not Potter was indeed captured. It is my belief, however, that he was not, at least not by Death Eaters. If the Dark Lord had him, he would have already summoned his followers to watch the boy be executed."

Albus nodded, thoughtfully, "Indeed, I do not believe that our Mr. Potter was taken by the Death Eaters. There are several factors that lead me to believe this. When Harry's room at the Dursley residence was searched, no trace of his personal belongings were found. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that he had time to pack and take them with him." With this the elderly wizard rose and retrieved a fist-sized cobalt blue crystal sphere with rhythmically pulsating silver veins from one of his shelves. Upon resuming his seat, he explained, "This is a monitoring crystal attuned to Harry's magical signature. The blue color indicates his good health. The silver in the veining indicates that he is sleeping peacefully, and the pulsating is representative of his heartbeat. Wherever Harry is, he does not appear to be in any immediate danger." He glanced at the slightly relieved faces in front of him. He then turned his attention to the werewolf, "Remus, please relate to those present what you told me earlier."

Remus nodded and addressed the gathered Order members, "As you know my enhanced senses allow me to detect things that are not apparent to normal human senses." At their nods he continued, "When we apparated to Privet Drive, I detected a peculiar smell, one I had never encountered before. At first I thought it was that of a vampire, but although it carried the same blood scent, it lacked the feral quality of a vampire. Whatever left that smell was both sentient and clean. Also, there was more than one individual, and they had been there over the course of several days. There was no fresh blood nor any corpses, near the house. That does not follow the normal behavior patterns for vampires. When I followed the scent to its largest concentration, it was the alley across the street from Harry’s house. When I entered the alley I discovered Harry's scent as well. His scent trail leading up to the alley was obscured by the battle, but it was fresh in the alley itself. There was no trail leading away from it. As you know vampires cannot apparate, and cannot produce advanced magical objects such as a portkey, so whatever took Harry, it was not a vampire."

There was an outburst of talking amongst those gathered. Arthur Weasley spoke up, "Are you saying that Harry was taken by some kind of new or unheard of creature that drinks the blood of its victims? How could such a creature be kept secret?"

Severus had a sinking feeling that he knew what had happened to the Potter-boy. He glanced at Albus, raising an eyebrow in question. The headmaster seemed to know what he was thinking, and nodded. Severus cleared his throat, "Gentlemen, if I may? I believe I have a viable theory. I have heard rumors of a high vampire race that is both sentient and highly magical."

"You believe that old-hag's tale, Snape?" groused Moody.

Severus sneered at the peg-legged ex-Auror, "Many myths are based on truths, Moody, especially in the wizarding world, but that is not what I meant. I do not know the details, but I do know that the Dark Lord has been courting an alliance with a group that he is very secret about. The rumor amongst the Death Eaters, however, is that this group is comprised of some type of vampire."

The others except Dumbledore gasped collectively. Kingsley spoke up quietly, "I too have heard rumors of these vampires at the ministry. It is kept very hushed, but the ministry has apparently known of their existence for centuries. Not much is known about them besides the fact that they do exist, and are apparently very reclusive. The ministry does consider them to be extremely dangerous, though."

Arthur stood, panicked, "We have to find him, Albus. What if these vampires took him to use as a negotiating tool in their talks with You-Know-Who?"

"Do not worry Arthur. We will locate Harry," the headmaster soothed. "At least for now we know he is alive and healthy. Severus, if you would make some inquiries and find out anything that you can about these people?"

Severus stood and nodded, "I will keep you informed."

Albus smiled benignly, and turned to the others, "Arthur and Kingsley, if you would check into anything the ministry has on vampires? Please be discreet. It would not do for Cornelius to get wind of this. It is bad enough that he knows of Harry's disappearance at all, but that cannot be helped." At their nods he continued, "Alastor, please return to Order headquarters, and bring everyone up to speed. Do not fret. We will find Harry."

With that, everyone quickly took their leave. Albus wandered over to Fawkes' perch. He stroked his head while gazing at Harry's monitoring crystal. "Be safe, Harry. It seems that we have a new player on the board, Fawkes."

****End Interlude****

Harry gradually approached consciousness, and noticed the red glow of his eyelids. It was definitely morning then. He cracked one eye cautiously, and immediately closed it again with a groan. He rolled away from the offending light and sat up. Harry blearily peered at his surroundings, and the recollection of the events and conversations of last night hit him like a ton of bricks. He let out another more heartfelt groan.

"Is Lord Harry ill, sir?" piped a rather squeaky voice to his left.

Harry started and swung his head towards the voice. There standing on his trunk was a house-elf. She did not, however, have the appearance of any house-elf that he had ever seen. She was wearing neat, well fitting clothes for one thing, and had a rather groomed appearance. Her skin was smooth and unscarred, and her large blue eyes had a clear and open appearance. She wore a rich blue cotton dress with silver embroidery, a crisp white apron, and smart elf-sized leather shoes. She was currently staring at Harry in some concern.

After Harry had gaped a moment longer, he shook his head and explained, "No, I'm fine. Who are you?"

"I is Trini, sir. Lord Tullius is assigning Trini to take care of Lord Potter. Lord Tullius will be here at noon to give you a tour of Pax Castellum."

"What time is it?" Harry asked the diminutive elf.

"It is being half past ten. Would yous like some brunch, sir?"

"Yes please, if you don't mind."

"It is being my pleasure, Lord Potter. Yous is needing a little fattening up." She gave his bare chest a critical stare, and then vanished with a pop.

"Cheeky little thing," said Harry with a grin.

_ "Yes, she was. Now if we could have some silence! Someone would like to continue her beauty sleep." _

Harry laughed at the irritated hiss coming from underneath the pillow next to his. _"Yes, Mistress Lethe!"_

He glanced around the room, and noticed that Trini had apparently tidied his hastily discarded clothing from last night. He rose and quickly paid a visit to the loo, grabbing his robe off its peg in the process. He didn't much fancy parading about in his pants in front of the house-elf.

Trini reappeared just as Harry reentered his bedroom. "Here you is Lord Potter," She piped as a tray appeared on the table in his sitting area. "What else can Trini be doing?"

Harry sat in one of the chairs. "Thank you. Would you mind sitting for a moment? I would like to ask you a few questions."

"As sir wishes."

Harry was relieved when she immediately hopped into the chair opposite him with no fuss. He recalled the first time that he had asked Dobby to sit, and almost groaned at the memory. "You are not like most of the house-elves that I have met before. Do they treat you well here?"

"Oh, yes sir, we’s elves are treated very kindly by the Clan Argentum. Trini has never left this island, but others have. The outside world is not a nice place for elves. Pax Castellum elves are not being slaves. We’s not bound to stay here. We’s serve the Clan Argentum because we choose to."

"Yes, I am aware. I know a house-elf named Dobby who used to belong to a particularly cruel family. He was freed, and now works at my school. Professor Dumbledore pays Dobby and he is treated well."

Trini nodded, "House-elves is being magical creatures. Our nature is to be cleaning and caring for others. We’s not lesser than other sentient beings. Clan Argentum is being respectful of elves for service, and cares for elves in return. We’s still sworn to protect secrets, but we’s being happy to."

"Are house-elves treated as well by the other clans?" Harry asked.

Trini frowned for a moment. "Crocinus Clan in America and Viridis Clan in Germany are also being good to house-elves. We’s not be serving Rutilus Clan anymore. After Great Rift, Lord Tullius' brother and followers began to bleed elves. None willingly be serving them, and those who do, not be lasting long."

"I see. Tullius wants me to join the Argentum Clan. I haven't made up my mind yet, though."

"Lord Tullius believes that you is being the Child of the Prophecy. He is being very wise. Do not forget that although he is looking young, he is being almost 4000. If Lord Tullius be choosing Lord Potter, then yous should be honored, for he has not done so in all of his many years."

"Not once in nearly 4000 years?"

"No, Lord Harry. He’s being waiting for you."

Harry didn't quite know what to make of that. "Thanks Trini, for answering my questions. You've helped quite a bit."

"You’s being most welcome Lord Potter. Call Trini if yous having need."

"Thanks again!" Harry called as Trini vanished with a pop. The little elf had certainly given him a lot to think about. He uncovered the dishes and found a fry-up and fruit salad. Accompanying it was a pot of tea. _"Lethe! Are you hungry?"_

A groggy looking Lethe stuck her head out from under her pillow._ "I ate yesterday. What I need now is more sleep!"_ If snakes could glare, Harry would swear that's what she was doing. She disappeared from view with a final hiss.

_"Suit yourself."_ Harry proceeded to devour his brunch, and ignored the grumpy snake.

The bath was impressive. Unlike the Prefects' bath, this one only had two taps, hot and cold. There were, however, several bottles of variously scented bath potions. Unlike the muggle variety, wizarding bath additives were not just for scent. They were actually would heal, sooth, relax, energize, or what ever was needed. Harry chose one that would sooth his frazzled nerves and improve his concentration

After filling the tub, he allowed his body to sink down in until only his face was above the water's surface. Harry took a deep breath, and sunk to the bottom of the tub, slowly breathing out through his nose. He stayed submerged as long as he could, allowing the potion to do its work, and listening to the blood move through his veins. As he rose slowly so just his nose and mouth broke the surface once more, he exhaled the remainder of the air in his lungs. When he refilled them with oxygen, the water amplified the sound. For a moment, Harry felt that it was the only sound in the world.

The lonely sound made him wonder how many breaths he had left. How much longer did he have to spend on the planet before his death? Four times he had faced Voldemort, five if you counted when he was a baby. Each time Death had passed within a breath of him. How many more times would Death allow his escape? Tullius had called him a Child of Fate, someone to balance the evils of the world. Did this mean that Fate would continue to protect him, and could he afford to take that chance? It certainly seemed that he possessed an inordinate amount of luck in sticky situations. Maybe it was Fate's way of compensating for his crappy luck concerning every other aspect of his life. 

Harry wondered what would happen if he was to die before Voldemort was destroyed. It seemed insane that he could possibly be that important, he was just Harry after all. If that batty Trelawney's prophecy was to be believed then his death before that of old Tommy-boy would spell blood and death for most of the world, both wizarding and muggle alike. Was it true that out of the entire wizarding population only Harry had the power to destroy that monster completely? And for that matter, what was completely? Did Voldemort even have a soul? He had some sort of presence after his body was destroyed when Harry was a baby.

Wizarding society had a huge variety of beliefs on religion that incorporated various beliefs from all over the world. Some believed in the quintessential soul. Some believed in a life-force that was present in every living thing, which upon a creature's death moved on to a newborn creature, rather like reincarnation. Some even believed that the soul was actually the embodiment of the magical signature of a wizard, though what that meant for muggles Harry did not know. Maybe people just died, only to live on in the memories of those left behind. He remembered his conversation with Nearly-Headless Nick at the end of last term. Even he did not know what really happened when a person died because he had chosen to remain in-between life and death.

And what of Tullius' proposal? Did Harry want to become one of the Senesha? He could not deny the considerable advantages that would come with the enhancements. One sure thing was that he needed help. The added magical energy could be what was necessary to defeat Voldemort. That was the problem with prophecies, they told him what he needed to do, but not how to go about it. What would the wizarding world do if it were discovered that their 'savior' was a dark creature? Harry figured that it would all depend on who won, him or Riddle.

Harry also had to consider whether or not he wanted to be immortal. The selfish part of his mind noted that it would mean seeing many of his friends and loved ones grow old and die, while he remained forever young. Then the unselfish part of his mind piped up with the fact that at least they might get a chance to do so without the looming threat of Voldemort. Harry also could not deny that the prospect of being able to observe the changes in humanity throughout the ages had its appeal. He would have all of the time in the world to travel and explore perhaps satiating his inexhaustible curiosity. Tullius had also said that the Senesha could not have children, at least not naturally. Harry had always thought that it would be wonderful to have a real family, and provide everything that he himself had been denied to a child.

It was a decision that he could not make lightly. It was times like these when Harry needed to let his Slytherin traits help him out. He needed to weigh things carefully and suppress his Gryffindor instinct to rush right in. Harry decided that he needed more information before he could make a decision. Hopefully seeing more of the Senesha would provide him with some more insight.

With that thought in mind, Harry pulled the drain plug, and reached for a towel. After wiping the steam from his glasses, and replacing them on his face, he thought aloud, "At least I wouldn't have to mess with these damn glasses anymore." He dressed in another nice outfit, and returned to his perch on the window seat. In the daylight he could see past the trees where there was the smooth line of the sea on the horizon.Tullius should be here soon, and then hopefully he would get some more answers.


	6. Tours and More Questions

As noon approached, Lethe awoke and apologized for her earlier grumpiness. Apparently, she was not a morning-snake, and the events of the last few days had stressed her. Harry learned that she was especially tired the day after she fed. Luckily she only needed to eat once or twice a week. She happily curled around his neck in what was becoming her preferred perch.

Almost the moment the clock on the wall struck noon, there came a knock at the entrance to his suite. Harry lowered the wards and opened a door to reveal a smiling Tullius. "Hello, Harry."

The teen returned the smile tentatively, "Hello, please come in." He stood aside for the man to enter.

"You slept well, I hope?" at Harry's nod he continued, "Excellent. Shall we take that tour now?"

"Sure." Harry reached up to stroke Lethe, _"Do you want to come or would you rather stay here?"_ he hissed.

_"Of course I'm coming. You're not going around in some strange place without me!"_

The raven-haired boy smiled at her protectiveness, and unwrapped her from his neck to place her in his hand. He held her out slightly towards Tullius. "Tullius, this is Lethe, my familiar. Lethe, meet Tullius Maecenas."

Tullius held his hand out for the snake to flick her tongue against. "Please tell her that I think she is quite lovely, and that it is a pleasure to make her acquaintance."

Harry had decided to keep Lethe's language abilities under wraps for now. It was good to have a few tricks up his sleeve. _"I know that you understood him, but I don't want anyone to know that you understand English yet."_

_"I understand Harry, tell him that I thank him, and that he is also handsome . . . for a human."_

Harry rolled his eyes, and grinned mischievously at the sapphire-eyed immortal, "She says thank you, and that you are handsome for a human."

Tullius returned the grin, his fangs glinting brightly, and mock-bowed to the snake. The bespectacled teen allowed the snake to resume her position around his neck, so she would have the best view. He motioned towards the hall, "Shall we?"

Harry nodded, and followed him into the hall. As he shut his door he noticed a silver plaque on it that read 'Harry Potter'. The vampire touched the doorknob for a moment, and then motioned for his young companion to do the same. He felt a slight flare of the wards. "Now you and I are the only ones that can open this door."

The long wide corridor was made of grey stone with sets of doors spaced intermittently along both sides. Harry noticed that each set was adorned with a name plaque similar to his. Halfway down the corridor was a large spiral staircase going both up and down. "The castle is 'L' shaped and made up of two wings, the south and the west. A main corridor runs the length of both wings on each floor. We are standing on the third floor at the far end of the west wing. The castle has a basement level at the bottom where the kitchens and house elf quarters are. The ground and first floors are mainly common areas, however my quarters can be found at the south end of the first. The second through sixth floors consist of living quarters.”

Tullius led the way down to the first level north wing where Harry noticed five sets of doors, one at the end of the hall and two on each side of him. "This is the indoor training area. The doors on your right lead to private workrooms. Those on your left are warded public spellwork rooms where you can train with new magics without risking the safety of the castles other inhabitants. The set in front of you leads to the physical training room, which is were we are going now. I think you will like this."

Tullius lead the way into a very large room that looked like a combination state of the art muggle health club and traditional Japanese dojo. On the far left side were various weights and cardio machines, and on the far right side were punching bags and other targets. On the far wall were racks with weapons from all over the world. In the center of the room was a large fighting ring, and this is what drew the teen's attention. In the ring were two combatants armed with swords. They were moving so fast that Harry couldn't tell whether they were male or female. Harry stood transfixed as they struck, dodged and parried, their blades nothing but streaks of silver. After several minutes, one of the combatants faltered, and the other seized the opportunity. Before the green-eyed boy could blink, the warrior was disarmed and on his or her back with a sword at the throat. Now that they were still he could tell that they were both men. The loser raised his hands in surrender, and the victor lowered his sword and offered him a hand up. Once both were on their feet Tullius began clapping.

"Harry, may I introduce General Marcellus Fortis and Commander Brutus Iubeo. Gentlemen, Harry Potter." The man on the left that Tullius had indicated was Fortis was the one who had been the victor in the match. He was tall with a swarthy complexion, dark brown close-cropped hair and hazel eyes. Even sweating from the match, he had a dignified and powerful aura about him. The other man, Iubeo, though also tall, was a fair-skinned blonde with laughing blue eyes. Harry liked him immediately. It was hard to imagine that these to men were old enough to be military leaders unless you looked into their eyes. Their eyes had the same reflective quality that Tullius' had, not unlike those of a cat. That was not what stood out most, however. The-Boy-Who-Lived recognized the same quality that he saw in his own eyes when he looked in the mirror, and in those of Professors Snape and Dumbledore. You could tell that those eyes had seen more than their fair share of pain and destruction.

Both men gave a slight bow, and stepped forward to shake Harry's hand. Brutus spoke up, "Nice to finally meet you Harry. I imagine that we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the near future."

"Likewise," Harry replied with a smile.

Brutus turned to Tullius, "Well we'd better go get cleaned up before lunch. Magi said she drench us in soapy water in the middle of the dining hall if we showed up smelling of the practice courts one more time this month."

The sapphire-eyed man laughed and waved as they left. He turned to the teen with a knowing smile, "What did you think?"

"They were fantastic! Can all of the Senesha move like that?"

"Physically we are all capable of it, though not everyone is as skilled with weapons as Marcellus and Brutus. Shall we move on?"

Harry nodded energetically, and Tullius smiled as they exited the training room.

“So obviously Senesha can be killed with swords. What about sunlight, holy water, crosses, garlic and such?"

"All myths, but some myths do have a grain of truth in them. Because of our enhanced eyesight, we tend to prefer to avoid bright light. In the present day, however, with advances in muggle eye protection, we can walk among regular humans in broad daylight with no discomfort. The myth comes from what people have observed of Deviant behavior. Deviants possess little capability for higher thought processes, and rely completely on animal instinct for survival. They are nocturnal hunters simply because that is when their senses give them the greatest advantage over their prey. Many other predatory species behave the same way.

"When rogue Deviants were at their most numerous, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful non-magical organization. The bishops organized groups of slayers to hunt down the Deviants. They believed that the Deviants were humans possessed by demons, and always carried crosses and holy water to use in their exorcisms. It didn't work of course, and in the end they just killed the ones they caught. To the general public, however, crosses and holy water became symbolic of the slayers.

"As for garlic, well, that is the drawback of having an advanced sense of smell. Your sense of smell is directly linked to your sense of taste. That's why food doesn't taste as good when you have a cold. Even though the Senesha need to drink blood, we still must get our nutrients the same way as anyone else. You will find, however, that we tend to prefer non-spicy foods."

As they moved past the stairs that they had come down, Harry could see a railed landing, and beyond that, open space. As they approached the railing, a gigantic two-story open hall came into view. Stained-glass windows nearly covered both walls. From the looks of it they depicted the history of the Senesha. The floor was covered in an intricate spiral design made up of marble inlay, and two grand marble staircases led down into the hall. One started a few feet from where he was standing, and the other from a landing on the south wing side of the hall.

"Beautiful isn't it? I never get tired of looking at it."

"Yes it is, very."

Tullius lead the way down the stairs, and across the hall towards the south wing. Under the second floor landing was another corridor. "The two sets of doors on your right lead to conference and receiving rooms. On your left is our own little treasure. They entered a large set of double-doors, and were faced with a huge library that would set Hermione drooling. There was a spiral staircase in the right corner closest to the central corridor outside that led to a railed landing above. The landing was open to the central corridor of the second floor. The rest of the walls were lined with bookshelves, some of which could be reached only by ladders. In the center of the room were several tables, which were surrounded by even more shelves of books.

Tullius pointed to the first floor landing above, "The Clan Archives as well as my office and personal quarters are up there."

Harry was about to reply when a low lilting voice sounded directly behind him, "Ah, Tullius, I see you have brought your child to us at last." The startled teen turned, and had to work to keep from gaping. There stood a man, who although appeared to be no older than Tullius, had long silvery-white hair that hung loose down his back and eerie eyes like solid opal. He wore gray silk robes, and had ink-stained fingers. It was those eyes, which seemed to see through him as if he was just so much vapor that sent chills down Harry's spine.

"Harry, meet Cicero Ennius, Cicero, Harry Potter. Cicero is our seer, Harry. He gave us the Blood Prophecy."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," Harry said while extending his right hand.

The seer stepped forward and grasped the outstretched hand. The seer's hand felt papery and cool against Harry's palm, and he felt a tingle run through his body before the man released him. "No, Child, the pleasure is entirely mine, I assure you," the man spoke not taking those iridescent eyes off the green-eyed teen as he continued, "Change is coming Tullius. I fear that the fragile peace that we have constructed here in our sanctuary may shatter before the dust settles."

"You may very well be correct, my friend, but that is the way of things. Change is inevitable, and peace can be reconstructed. It is better to risk our peace than let the world crumble around our ivory tower."

Cicero looked appraisingly at the Clan leader, "Just so. Well now, I believe that we are fashionably late for lunch. I believe it shall be quite appetizing," the white-haired immortal smirked.

Tullius snorted, "Probably, would you care to accompany Harry and myself? I believe it best to set rumors to rest before they get out of hand."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss this for the world," he replied slyly.

Harry could tell something was going on, but he was at a loss to discover it. He shrugged, and followed the men out of the library. They made their way across the main hall once again, and halted at a large set of doors to the right of the west corridor. With a flick of Tullius' wrist the doors swung open silently. Harry had no time to marvel at the display of wandless magic because he was suddenly confronted with a room full of Senesha. Granted the young Gryffindor sat amongst much larger crowds daily in the Hogwarts Great Hall, but this group of Senesha was much more intimidating that a room full of children. As almost seventy-five pairs of luminescent eyes turned upon the late arrivals, Harry had to fight the urge to take a step back. He refused to display any weakness however, and followed the other two late arrivals to places at the head of the long wide table. The chatter and clink of cutlery on china died down as those eyes traveled from Tullius, to Cicero, and then landed on him.

Tullius ignored the curious glances, only pausing to request that everyone remain after the meal for an announcement, before beginning to serve himself. The raven-haired teen helped himself to grilled salmon and roasted vegetables. As he reached for one of the flagons in front of him to fill his goblet, however, the clan leader stilled his hand, "You don't want that one, trust me."

It was then that Harry noticed that everyone had two goblets in front of him or her. One contained either water or juice. The other contained a burgundy substance that Harry had mistaken for wine. As the realization hit him, he could not help but blanch a bit. Blood. They were drinking blood. He had known, of course, that they drank blood, but it was an entirely different matter to see it first hand. "I'm sorry, Harry. I should have warned you first. Tullius looked so apologetic that the bespectacled boy couldn't help but smile, while regaining his color. "It's okay, I was just surprised. It's fine, really."

Relief was evident on the man's face as he reached for a different flagon, and filled Harry's goblet. The meal continued uninterrupted after that, and Harry chatted politely with Tullius and Cicero. Soon, most everyone was finished, and looking at them expectantly. Tullius wiped his mouth and set his napkin next to his plate. He stared around the table, and every head swung towards him as one. Harry suppressed another shiver. That was just creepy, but he knew that Tullius must have somehow grabbed their attention telepathically.

"Good afternoon all. I'm sure most of you are aware that we have a visitor among us. One, which I hope will soon be a permanent addition to our family. May I introduce Harry Potter? Even those of you who have not ventured from our sanctuary in fifteen years know his name. I have brought him here because I believe that he is the Child of the Prophecy that we have long awaited. The time has come to resurrect our position in the world. Hard times are ahead for all of the Senesha. The darkness has already begun to consume the outside world, and we would be fools to think that it will not eventually spread to us.

“As I speak, Riddle is attempting to sway our allegiance to his side. The Senesha are standing on a precipice. If we wait too long to act, the soil will erode from under us and we will be left with few choices. We have seen many dark lords come and go over the centuries. This one woos with sweet and bloody promises, but he will not be satisfied with a simple alliance. He would have us as pawns if we are not cautious. He claims that he would give us the blood of muggles and muggleborns. Once we helped him vanquish his opposition, however, he would use them to make us his slaves. We have tasted slavery before. The Senesha bow to no man!

“I propose instead that we establish ourselves as a separate power, and seek an alliance with his enemies. Harry Potter is Riddle's nemesis. He has been prophesied to be the one who can destroy him, both by the wizards and by our own Cicero Ennius. Our secrecy has already been compromised to Riddle. It may be necessary to break our code of secrecy further to repair the damage. I cannot foresee our fate at the end of this war. I am not foolish enough to believe that our aid will gain us the acceptance of the wizards. People always fear those with more power than themselves. I do believe that our fate will be much worse should we ally ourselves with Riddle. Please think on what I have said."

His speech finished, Tullius stood, and motioned for the teen to follow him. He paused to lean down to Cicero's ear, "You will stay, and see which way the tide pulls?"

Cicero nodded and replied, "Yes, I will mingle awhile, and stop by your rooms for coffee later."

Tullius nodded his thanks and made his way out of the dining hall followed by Harry. As they walked, the teen mulled over the speech that he had just witnessed. He had observed the various reactions around the table, and they had ranged from supportive to skeptical to indifferent. The majority, however, had seemed to lean towards supportive. He could not help but think what valuable allies the Senesha would be to the Order. He had a feeling that Fudge would disagree with that sentiment, however. Yes, the Ministry as it was now, could not be trusted. Harry could envision Fudge welcoming the Senesha with open arms as long as his ass was on the line. Then when they had outlived their usefulness or proved ungovernable, he would turn on them. It was sad to say that the Gryffindor had more respect for Voldemort than he did for the Minister of Magic. At least Voldemort was upfront about his intentions. Fudge was just a slippery, two-faced, opportunistic coward. Harry was seriously reconsidering his intent to become an Auror. Oh, he would continue his N.E.W.T. level training, that would be necessary for the war, but he would not swear his allegiance to Fudge. The Ministry had turned on The-Boy-Who-Lived too many times for him to put his life in Fudge's grubby hands. Then again it might be a moot point if he joined the Senesha. The Ministry of Magic would never employ a vampire as an Auror.

"Tullius, if I was to become one of the Senesha would that make you my legal guardian?" Harry asked.

"That depends on which legal system you are speaking of. According to Senesha law, you would be legally my child and heir. I would be responsible for your care and education for a hundred years. Now, the Ministry of Magic does not recognize our laws, obviously, but then again, we don't recognize theirs either. You realize that should you choose to return permanently to the wizarding world, you may be forced to become a ward of the Ministry. With no surviving relatives to claim you, Fudge may attempt to gain control of you. As I'm sure you can imagine, that would be very dangerous for you. Your headmaster may be able to pull some strings, but should the worst happen, you would be welcome here no matter what you decide."

Harry blinked at the brightness as they emerged in to the sunny walled courtyard of the keep. Tullius turned to the teen, and asked, "Do you ride, Harry?"

"Ride what?"

Tullius flashed him a bright grin. "Oh, you'll see. Come on."

Tullius and Harry made their way to one of the barns, or rather stables in the bailey. "Horses?" Harry squeaked.

"Fantastic horses. Have you ever ridden?"

"Um, nooo."

"Well its time you learned. It's not all that hard once you get the hang of it. Owen! How are you this afternoon?"

A tall rather burly man with auburn hair and a ready smile had poked his head of a stall at their entrance. "Hello Tullius! I'm fine, as is Mercutio. You must be Harry. I wasn't able to make lunch, but you are already the talk of the castle. Emilia went into labor during the night, and delivered a lovely little filly this morning. Come take a look!"

The two visitors joined Owen at the stall, and were presented with the sight of a lovely roan mare and a very wobbly black foal. "Name's Titania," the burly man said proudly.

"Harry, this is Owen Iubeo, our hostler and damn fine horse breeder. Owen, Harry Potter."

Owen held out a hand to Harry. "Pleased to meet you, Harry. Welcome to Pax Castellum."

Harry grasped the proffered hand, and with a firm shake replied, "Pleased to meet you. Are you related to Brutus?"

"Yup, he's my Sire. He and his mate adopted me when I was a baby."

Harry could see the man's fangs when he spoke. Harry wondered when the man had been turned. "Did Brutus... I mean... have you been a..."

The man grinned at Harry's stumbling, and took pity on the teen. "You're wondering if Dad turned me as a baby?"

Harry blushed and nodded his head sheepishly, "I didn't mean to be rude."

"Not at all, Harry. To answer your question, no, I did not become a vampire until I was ten. The Argentum Clan does not turn people without their consent. My parents waited until I was old enough to make the decision for myself."

Harry was relieved. The thought of someone turning a baby made him slightly ill. That just seemed wrong.

Tullius spoke up, "You remember the feeding codes that I told you about? Well a baby cannot be reasoned with. They would just feel the blood lust, and would feed on anything they could. By the time a child ten, he or she understands right from wrong, and can, we feel, make a conscious decision whether or not to undergo their change. Very few decide not to, as it is considered an honor and right of passage. However, I can remember one or two that declined. They still remained with their vampire families until their deaths."

Harry nodded his understanding feeling relieved.

"So Harry, do you know how to ride?" questioned the hostler.

"No, this is as close as I've ever been to a regular horse."

The hostler laughed, and turned to the mare, "Did you hear that Emilia, he called you regular!" The mare snorted and presented Harry with her backside.

"Well let's see if we can get you fixed up. He looked skeptically at Harry's clothes, and waved his hand. Harry looked down and saw that his slacks had been replaced with knee-high black riding boots and tan stretchy riding pants. Owen handed him a black velvet covered helmet. "Much better. Now you need a mount. Hmm... maybe Phoebe. She's rather calm. She'd make a good first horse. Come along. Owen grabbed a saddle and tack and headed down the aisle between the many stalls.

"Owen I'm going to saddle up Mercutio while you help Harry."

The hostler nodded absently as he walked. Phoebe turned out to be a placid appaloosa, who seemed to like Harry. Owen showed him how to saddle her, and they then led her out into the bailey. The found Tullius waiting similarly attired, with a large black gelding that Harry assumed was Mercutio.

"Ready Harry?" He asked with a smile.

"Um, sure." Owen helped him mount up, and instructed him on how to guide her.

"Just relax a bit, and remember the harder you squeeze with your legs, the faster she will go."

Harry made a mental note to keep his legs quite relaxed. Tullius led the way through the castle gate, and they were off. Harry found after a half-hour or so that it wasn't so hard, although he had a feeling that his bum might be singing a different tune tomorrow. They headed due west through the forest on a dirt road that circled the island's periphery. Tullius stopped occasionally to point out some feature to Harry. By late afternoon they reached a stream on the west end of the island. There was a bridge crossing it, but Tullius veered onto a smaller path that ran inland along the stream. After a few minutes, the trees opened into a large clearing with a waterfall and shimmering lagoon.

"Wow," was all Harry could think to say.

I'm glad you like it. There is a lake atop that cliff. It comes from an underground spring. I thought we could have a picnic tea if you want."

"That sounds great. The two dismounted, and Harry walked a little funny for a moment until his muscles relaxed. "Definitely gonna feel this tomorrow," he mumbled. He placed Lethe on the ground to explore or bask on the rocks while warning her to stay clear of the grazing horses' hooves.

Tullius conjured a blanket and cushions, and then summoned a picnic basket from the castle. "I asked the elves to have it ready."

Over tea they talked of inconsequential things, for which Harry was grateful. Once they were satiated, and reclining in the sun on the cushions, Harry got the nerve to ask the question that had been gnawing, "Tullius? Why do you want me? I mean, I know about the prophecy and everything, but is that the only reason?" The green-eyed teen waited tensely for the man's answer, knowing that it might very well help him make his decision.

After the moment of silence, Tullius answered, "Harry I won't deny that I hope you can fulfill the prophecy, and help our people, but that's not the reason I want you. I can't see how anyone could not want you. You are an amazing person, Harry. You are kind, and giving, and loyal, and brave, and resilient, and good. You have triumphed over hardship again and again, and it has not made you bitter. On the contrary, it has made you kinder!

"I was there when Cicero made the original prophecy, and afterwards he came to me. He said that I would be the one to Sire the Child of the Prophecy. I wish I had found you when you were first given to your relatives. I would have been so happy to raise you here on this island surrounded by those who would care for you. I think fate must have known that is not what you needed. I am so sorry you had to grow up in that environment. It’s brutal and unfair, but so is life I suppose. I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from taking you away and would have wanted to protect you from the very hardships that have shaped you into the wonderful young man that you are today. I know it was a difficult life, but you have a difficult path still to tread. The Dursley's, bastards that they were, gave you one inadvertent gift. They showed you how ugly humanity can be, and you figured out how to rise above it. I hope we can make up for lost time now. I want to be there for you and teach you what you need to know to survive this and live a long happy life."

When Tullius finished, Harry had tears in his eyes. No one had ever told him such things before. Sure he had heard the accolades of The-Boy-Who-Lived from those who didn't even know him, but never in regards to just plain Harry. The cynical part of his brain pointed out that these people still wanted to use him to fulfill a purpose, but they also wanted to help him in a way that few had in his short life. It hurt to think of the wonderful childhood with that he could have had with Tullius, but he understood the point that the man was trying to make. He thought of Ron and Hermione, and their loving families. They were wonderful people, and he loved them, but they were innocents. They really had no concept of the darker side of humanity outside of the fairytale evil villain. They had not come face to face with evil and walked away. Even though they were usually with him in his misadventures, in the end it was always him and Voldemort.

Now, Tullius was offering him the one thing that he had always craved, the one thing that his lessons had cost him. A family. The temptation to just accept his offer was almost overwhelming. "You've given me a lot to think about."

"I have. Don't answer me now. Sleep on it at least and we will talk again tomorrow."

Harry was grateful that the man didn't push, and as the sun sank below the horizon they made their way back to the castle.

*********  
**Here are layouts of Pax Castellum. I had fun designing them and it might make the maze of the castle more understandable.**


	7. Nightmares and Letters

In a dim cavernous room sat the grotesquely skeletal form of Voldemort on a throne like chair, which was the sole piece of furniture in sight. His ruby-eyed gaze balefully took in the room's other occupants. Before him stood two-dozen black-robed figures. The faint light glinted off the silver masks, which hid their down turned faces. Between them and their master, a figure lay in a cringing heap. Her long, matted hair was visible behind her mask. Voldemort had his wand lazily pointing at the pathetic creature, and she was screaming. As she twitched convulsively, her mask fell away to reveal none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Her face was filthy with blood and grime, and a deranged light shone in her bloodshot eyes.

The observing youth felt a surge of rank hatred at the sight of her, Sirius' killer. He found no pity in himself for her wretchedness. Later, that fact would worry him, but now his attention was focused on the scene at hand and the phantom pain he was feeling.

With a last scream, the woman collapsed in a sobbing heap as Voldemort released the Cruciatus that had been frying her nerve endings. Ignoring the still twitching mess he turned his attention towards his other followers. His sibilant hiss of a voice sent chills of fear down the spines of even the stoniest Death Eaters. "I will not tolerate failure. My dear Bella has always been among my most faithful, and for that I spare her life, this time. Severus, step forward." A tall figure separated itself from the throng and glided to a stop beside the fallen Lestrange. "Severus, what news of Harry Potter?"

"News, my lord? Is Potter not with his muggle relatives for the summer?"

"Crucio!"

The potion master's knees buckled, but he somehow remained both standing and silent. The observing boy cringed in sympathy, and felt a tug that was not part of the painful echo that he felt from the curse. How many times had this man endured such pain for the sake of the Order? Dozens? Hundreds, more likely. "Don't lie to me Severus. I'm certain that a man with your resources has heard of his disappearance."

"Please forgive me, my lord. I have been involved with a potions experiment the last few days, and have thought of little else. I did see Dumbledore for a moment yesterday evening, and noted that he seemed quite distressed. I was, however, unaware of the reason for his agitation. If the Potter brat is missing, that would explain it."

"Indeed, he seems to have vanished. We were finally able to bypass those annoying wards that the muggle-loving fool had placed around the boy's house. However, when my dear Bella lead a group of my servants to capture the brat, they discovered that he was nowhere to be found. Why do you think that is, Severus?"

"I am not sure, my lord. I do know that Dumbledore had instructed the boy to remain within the wards at all times. Also, I do not believe that the boy is at Hogwarts. If the old fool's distress is any indication, he does not know where the brat is either."

"I see. In the future, Severus, you will be sure to inform me promptly of the old fool's moments of... _distress_."

"Of course, my lord."

The red gaze lifted from the potions master to observe the rest of the rooms occupants, "I want everyone to use all of the resources at your disposal to find. out. where. he. is!" Severus started to move back into the throng when the fiery gaze swung back to him, "Oh, Severus? Crucio!"

This time the potions master was not expecting the attack, and it brought him silently to his knees. The youth forgot that they could not hear him, and threw himself at the fallen man, "No!" he screamed. Abruptly he sat up in bed panting.

As he slowly regained control of his pounding heart and ragged breathing, Harry became aware of a small pair of shining black eyes peering at him in the pre-dawn light. The owner of said eyes was Lethe, who was regarding him worriedly. _"Are you alright, Harry?"_

The teen shook his head, and replied, _"No. I don’t think I am. I've got to get this Occlumency thing under control. I wonder if Tullius has anyone here that can help me."_

_"You could ask him. The an is obviously telepathic after all."_

_"That's true. They must have some way of closing off their minds to one another, or else that could get awfully embarrassing."_

A glance at the clock told Harry that it was just after 5:30 a.m., _"Ugh... well I don't think I'm getting anymore sleep tonight. I think I'll pay a visit to that bathtub again."_

_"Humph... speak for yourself, human. I'm going back to sleep like a decent snake."_

Harry rose with a chuckle and a shake of his head. He stretched and headed to the bathroom.

An hour later saw him bathed, dressed and sitting in what he'd come to call his spot on the window seat. As Harry watched the dawn slowly creep across the island he turned his thoughts to the conversation that he and Lethe had had the night before after their return from riding.

****Flashback****

_"I think this is a good opportunity for you. Granted, there are some drawbacks, but they are vastly outweighed by the benefits."_

_"I know, but what about Dumbledore and the Order, not to mention my friends? What if they despise me for being a so-called 'Dark Creature'?"_

_"If this Dumbledore is as crafty as you say he is, then I would think that he would want you to have every advantage. The Order follows him, do they not? As for your friends, if they are truly loyal to you, they will support whichever decision you make. Harry, none of that really matters anyways. You must think about yourself in this. You seem to get so caught up in what the rest of the world expects of you that you do not give enough thought to what you want. What is best for Harry? There is no shame in a little selfishness every now and then. I understand duty to the cause and all, but if you only join the Senesha for the added powers or to keep them from allying with Voldemort, you are setting yourself for some extreme unhappiness later. What happens after you defeat Voldemort? You will still be a vampire. What then? I think you would do well with the Senesha, but only you know what will make you happy."_

Harry stared at the patterns on the rug for a long moment, and then turned back to the snake, _"Thank you. I think I needed to hear that. You're right. I promised myself that I would take firmer control of my future, and not let people and circumstances control me anymore. I guess it takes practice."_

****End Flashback****

It was true, Harry thought, this was a decision that he had to make alone. In a way, he was glad that he was away from his friends and the Order. He cared about them, but had he been with them, he knew that he would have been influenced by their opinions. The teen stood abruptly. He needed to walk. That always helped him think. He remembered that Tullius mentioned something about battlements yesterday. Maybe be could take a look. After all... if he was staying here for any length of time, he should get to know the castle.

Harry grabbed Sirius' trench coat from his trunk. After donning the coat, he pocketed his wand, and called out to Lethe, _"I'm going for a walk, do you want to come?"_

The small snake blearily poked her head out from under her pillow and replied, _"Are those pockets warm?"_

_"Umm... I think so."_

_"I guess I'd better come with you, but I'm going back to sleep in your pocket."_

_"Very well Oh Lazy One,"_ Harry replied as he pocketed the grumbling creature.

Harry took the spiral stairs near his room up five stories to the rooftop and battlements. The teen opened one of the doors in the small room he found himself in, and stepped out onto the stone rooftop. He took a moment to orient himself, and moved towards the eastern parapet where he could see a hairline on brilliant pink glowing on the horizon. Harry peered over the chest-high parapet and observed the cliffs and ocean many meters below.

He followed the wallwalk until he could see the rest of the rest of the surrounding terrain. The island appeared to be about eight kilometers long and five kilometers wide. The castle itself was situated on the high cliffs of the northeast corner of the island, which was the highest point of elevation. Harry was standing on the west wall-walk, and could see some of the islands major features. The north and west coasts of the island consisted of steep, grey rock cliffs. The island, though mountainous, slowly sloped down towards the south and west ends of the island, which was at sea level, bordered by beaches. The north half of the island was covered by verdant forest, while the southern half was moorland. Harry could just see a silvery glint in the west that he assumed was the lake they had ridden to. Clustered in the southern part of the- island were maybe two dozen or so small buildings and houses. "I guess not everyone lives in the castle."

"No, some of us prefer something a little quieter."

Harry jumped, and spun around, his heart pounding in his throat, already reaching for his wand. He relaxed slightly as he took in the amused smile and white hair of Cicero Ennius. "Merlin! You startled me. I didn't expect anyone to be up and about yet."

The opal-eyed seer chuckled softly and moved to lean on the battlements. "We don't require as much sleep as ordinary wizards, though I do enjoy a good lie-in on occasion. How about you Harry? You're up awfully early. As I recall, teenagers are quite fond of sleep, especially in the mornings."

Harry smiled wanly, "Ah... well, I'm not much of a sleeper, either."

Cicero gazed at the teen for a moment, and then turned his gaze to the lightening island. "Sometimes the sleeping is more exhausting than the waking. Would you agree?"

"Yeah... that about sums it up. You see... I have these dreams... well, I guess they're more visions than dreams." Harry paused to rub his infamous scar, "This links me to Voldemort. When I sleep I can sometimes see what he's doing, and if he casts a curse on someone, I can feel it. So, as you can imagine, I'm not too fond of sleeping."

Cicero nodded without turning his head, "When I was a boy, oh many years ago, I had a similar problem. As you know, I am a seer. I was born with the gift, though as a child I thought it a curse. My parents were muggle peasants, and had no knowledge of magic. My unusual looks are not a result of my change, but are something I was born with. They are the outward signs of my unusual magic. As you could imagine, I was considered something of a pariah by my tribe. It is a hard thing to be different. It was actually a blessing when the pharaoh's men took me for the experiments. You see, I had no control over my powers, and would go into a trance at odd times, and spout prophecy. I was especially vulnerable while sleeping. My parents thought I was mad. My trainers at the pharaoh's court taught me meditation and control. Had it not been for them, I probably would have gone mad."

Harry was not sure how to respond to that. 'Wow' seemed rather inadequate. "Do... do you think... you could teach me how to control my visions?" he asked hesitantly. "One of my professors tried to teach me Occlumency last year, but it didn't turn out very well. I think it was a failure on both our parts, but I promise I would work harder this time."

Cicero turned to eye the young man seriously, "I know you will," he said with a small smile and a chuckle.

Harry shivered as he realized the man really did know. "Thank you. You've no ide-... oh... I guess you do know what this means to me." Harry returned the smile with one of his own.

Cicero stood up and clapped his hands, "Excellent, now that that's settled, I believe the elves are serving pancakes for breakfast this morning. I am exceedingly fond of pancakes. Shall we?"

Harry nodded with a bemused smile. He was reminded eerily of Dumbledore. The opal-eyed seer led the way along the wall-walk until they reached one of the three corner towers. Inside the arched doorway was another door leading to the north wall-walk, and a spiral stair leading back down into the keep.

As they descended the stairs Cicero told him that there were similar staircases in the other two towers that led down to the ground and second levels. "You can also reach the kitchens in the basement from this stair."

They ran into Tullius outside the dining hall. "Harry! Good morning! Hello Cicero."

"Tullius. Good morning. Young Harry here and I have been enjoying the sunrise this morning."

"Ah... a lovely morning for it at that.”

The dining hall was just starting to fill with people when they arrived. As they entered Tullius was hailed by a stuffy looking gentlemen with slicked back hair.

"Augustus. I see you have returned to us. I trust you bring good tidings?"

The man grimaced, "As well as can be expected, I suppose. The situation is escalating faster than I had hoped. I will give you a full report this afternoon. But who is this?" He indicated Harry with a gesture, though Harry suspected he already knew from the look in his eye.

"Augustus, may I introduce Harry Potter. Harry, this is Augustus Ciprio. Augustus is our ambassador to the other clans. He has just returned from a meeting of all of the clan ambassadors."

Augustus twitched almost imperceptibly at the mention of Harry's name. "Indeed. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Potter. Let us hope your coming bodes well for our clan." The look on his face said that he wasn't so sure about that last.

"That will be enough shop talk, gentlemen," an amused voice interjected, "It's time to eat. Mr. Potter, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ratia Indago." She was a spare woman with a kind smile.

Tullius looked amused at the interruption. "Ratia is out resident scientist," he said, and in a loud undertone, "and a bit of a mother hen." Harry fought to suppress a grin at the outraged look on the woman's face.

The tall woman glared playfully, "Someone has to watch out for you, you irritating sod."

"Ah Ratia, my darling, you know you would pine for me if I was gone." Tullius affected a grand bow.

Ratia sniffed disdainfully, "You wish." But there was a glint of amused affection in her gaze. "Come Harry. You can sit by me and tell me more about yourself. You're much too thin dear." Harry gave Tullius a helpless look as he was led to a seat.

Breakfast was delicious, and did indeed consist of pancakes. During the meal, Harry expressed his concern that his friends and the Order would be worried about his whereabouts. He inquired about the possibility of sending the headmaster a message. Tullius had agreed that it was probably for the best to inform them of his safety, and told him that he would help him send a message that afternoon.

As the hall began to empty, an elf popped in next to Tullius. The man leaned down to hear what the creature had to say. After a moment he nodded and said something quiet in return. The elf bobbed respectfully and vanished. “Harry, I’m afraid I’ve got some business to attend to. Brutus, perhaps you could show Harry the training rooms in more detail this morning. He will have to begin his training immediately if he is to be ready to attend Hogwarts in September. I’ll be up to see you when I’m done, Harry.”

The big warrior accepted readily, “Certainly Tullius. I’m sure I can keep him _entertained_.” The grin accompanying this statement was only mildly reassuring.

It turned out that Brutus’ idea of entertainment consisted of lifting heavy things, many, many times. “We won’t start you on weapons training yet. If you join our clan it is best to wait until after your change so as not to confuse your mind and body any more than necessary. Your reflexes and speed will be such that you will need to relearn your limits and what your body is capable of. However that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. Core strength, stamina and flexibility must be earned. Being a vampire helps, but there is no substitute for hard work.” So he showed Harry how to stretch and the proper form for lifting weights.

Two hours later, Harry was drenched with sweat and his muscles felt like jelly. Tullius had yet to return so he headed back to his quarters for a shower and to write his letter. He then moved his schoolbooks into the study, and spent a while working on his summer assignments. Tullius knocked on his door just as he was starting to wonder if he had forgotten him.

“Apologies Harry, I fear I had a few neglected duties to attend to. How was your training?”

“Er... well it was definitely enlightening,” he said with a slight wince.

The vampire just grinned. “Not to worry, Harry. It will get easier quickly.”

“If you say so. I thought quidditch had kept me fairly fit. I was very, very wrong,” he laughed a bit sheepishly.

The man chuckled, "You mentioned that you wanted to send a letter. Is it ready?"

"Oh! Yes, of course. It's in the study." The two made their way to the desk, and Harry retrieved the letter. "Do you have owls?"

"We do, but perhaps we should utilize a slightly faster method of transport. It could take an owl several days to find your headmaster. I could send it instantly, however, if you were to help me pinpoint this Dumbledore. It was remiss of me not to have addressed the issue earlier, but to be honest, I wanted you to have a chance to learn a bit about us before you contacted them."

"Er, sure, I guess. How do I do that?"

Tullius took the letter from the teen's outstretched hand, and then placed the fingers of his other hand on Harry's temple. "Concentrate on your headmaster. Picture him in your mind; not just his physical appearance, but also the man as a whole."

Harry closed his eyes, and rifled through memory after memory, slowly piecing the old wizard together in his head, from his knowing twinkle to his infuriating secrecy.

Shall we ride down to the village for lunch, Harry?"

Harry blinked. The letter was gone. "Wicked. Oh, yes… lets."

****Interlude****

At that moment, in a dingy kitchen, in a dingy unplottable house in London, the Order of the Phoenix was in the midst of a lunch meeting. Albus Dumbledore actually appeared quite flummoxed as to why a letter had just appeared in his mashed potatoes.

Conversation stumbled to a halt as the headmaster used a finger to wipe the lumpy glob of Ms. Weasley's cooking from his long pointed nose. "Albus, how…" Kingsley trailed off as the headmaster held up a hand.

He broke the seal and perused its contents. By the time he looked up his features were schooled into a mask of amused concern. "It appears to be a missive from our Mr. Potter. He says that he is fine, and not a prisoner. It seems that he will be returning to us for the fall semester."

The room burst into excited clamor. "Albus! You can't possibly think to trust such a letter! He could be under some type of coercion!" Molly Weasley exclaimed.

"On the contrary, my dear, we shall of course continue our search."

Remus spoke up, "Headmaster, how did that letter pass through the wards?"

"I'm not entirely certain. The residual signatures on the paper may as yet yield some clue. I shall investigate it further. If no one has anything further to discuss I believe we should adjourn for the evening. Severus a word, if I may, before you depart."

As the room slowly cleared a very haggard looking Severus Snape made his way stiffly to the seat next to the headmaster. The elder man passed him the parchment. Tell me what you think of this my boy. Severus studied the parchment. "It's definitely Potter's barely legible chicken scratch."

**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**I am sorry that I was unable to contact you any sooner. I am fine, and although I was taken without my consent, I am not being held prisoner. I will be returning to Hogwarts in September, I wish that I could explain matters more fully, but as you know, some things are best discussed in person. Please tell Remus, Hermione and the Weasleys that I am safe. I will explain when I see you in September. I know that there is nothing I can say here that will give convincing proof that I am currently under no coercion. You will just have to trust me.**

**-Harry Potter**

****End Interlude****


End file.
